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There Are Ghosts Here
Willa has no memory of anything before arriving at Dorsey House, and when she meets two sinister girls who seem to already know her, she slowly begins to lose her grip on what is real . . . and what is a lie. A haunting contemporary speculative thriller for fans of Kill Creatures and We Were Liars.
Willa Childs doesn't know why she's at Dorsey House. The tragic accident that banished her to the mysterious reformatory perched at the edge of the sea is lost in the recesses of her murky memory. The Dorseys themselves offer no answers, and the only other wards, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on keeping Willa in the dark—and on the outside of their obsessive friendship.
Yet as the days pass, it begins to feel like the sinister twosome know
Willa better than she knows herself. And as her memories gradually return to focus, the girls become even stranger, doing their best to convince Willa that she’s been at Dorsey House before. Only, that’s impossible.
Or is it? If they’re telling the truth, Willa can no longer trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Willa is certain Dorsey House is haunted, but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how will she ever escape?
Willa Childs doesn't know why she's at Dorsey House. The tragic accident that banished her to the mysterious reformatory perched at the edge of the sea is lost in the recesses of her murky memory. The Dorseys themselves offer no answers, and the only other wards, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on keeping Willa in the dark—and on the outside of their obsessive friendship.
Yet as the days pass, it begins to feel like the sinister twosome know
Willa better than she knows herself. And as her memories gradually return to focus, the girls become even stranger, doing their best to convince Willa that she’s been at Dorsey House before. Only, that’s impossible.
Or is it? If they’re telling the truth, Willa can no longer trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Willa is certain Dorsey House is haunted, but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how will she ever escape?
269 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 11, 2026
About the author
Adrienne Tooley
5 books759 followersAdrienne Tooley grew up in Southern California, majored in musical theater in Pittsburgh, and now lives in Brooklyn with her wife and dog, six guitars, and a banjo. In addition to writing novels, she is an occasional singer/songwriter who has currently released three indie-folk EPs. Find her @adriennetooley.
author photo by Jaclyn Le
https://www.lejaclyn.com
author photo by Jaclyn Le
https://www.lejaclyn.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 93 reviews
August 11, 2026
A heartbreaking yet healing tale that explored mental health, trauma, loneliness, and grief, There Are Ghosts Here was quite the haunting read. Far more than a traditional ghost story, this one was much deeper and darker than I was expecting and leaned towards a psychological haunting surrounding the power of grief instead of being straightforward horror despite the supernatural elements. In spite of that—or perhaps due to it—Tooley won me over completely. You see, this twisted—and twisty—claustrophobic read of unreliable memories, dark secrets, and gut-wrenching emotion had me crying into my tissues by the end. Oh, yes. It was an emotionally devastating novel with keen psychological insight into toxic friendships, dysfunctional families, and the ghosts we carry around with us wherever we go.
I do have to warn you, however, that this book did start off slow. In spite of that, though, I pushed through and flew through the pages with ease once it got going. Thanks to two strange mean girls and a narrator who was messy, complex, and flawed, I got pulled into this one-sitting read of mysterious happenings and untrustworthy feelings. It wasn’t, however, until the final twist when the full payoff to the slow buildup truly arrived. A tear-jerking and plot-shifting move, Tooley changed it all up with a final reveal that—while I sort of saw it coming—delivered a dose of hard-hitting consequences that took me out at the knees. So if you’re a fan of stories with emotional depth, an immersive atmosphere, and nuanced yet raw storytelling, grab this one now. It will leave you wrung out, but only in the best possible way. Rating of 4.25 stars.
Read if you’re a fan of:
- Young adult novels
- Thought-provoking themes
- Beautiful prose
- Haunted house settings
- Unreliable narrators
- Toxic female friendship
- Tear-jerking reads
- Dysfunctional families
- Emotional depth
- Supernatural events
- Cerebral stories
- Genre-bending books (a YA mystery + psychological thriller + speculative fiction + supernatural elements)
SYNOPSIS:
Willa Childs doesn't know why she's at Dorsey House. The tragic accident that banished her to the mysterious reformatory perched at the edge of the sea is lost in the recesses of her murky memory. The Dorseys themselves offer no answers, and the only other wards, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on keeping Willa in the dark—and on the outside of their obsessive friendship.
Yet as the days pass, it begins to feel like the sinister twosome knows Willa better than she knows herself. And as her memories gradually return to focus, the girls become even stranger, doing their best to convince Willa that she’s been at Dorsey House before. Only, that’s impossible.
Or is it? If they’re telling the truth, Willa can no longer trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Willa is certain Dorsey House is haunted, but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how will she ever escape?
Thank you Adrienne Tooley, Delacorte Press, and Get Underlined for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: August 11, 2026
Content warning: suicidal ideation/suicide, grief, mental illness (depression), death of a parent, death of a child (sibling), teenage pregnancy, abortion, self-harm, car accident, fire, toxic friendship, parental neglect
I do have to warn you, however, that this book did start off slow. In spite of that, though, I pushed through and flew through the pages with ease once it got going. Thanks to two strange mean girls and a narrator who was messy, complex, and flawed, I got pulled into this one-sitting read of mysterious happenings and untrustworthy feelings. It wasn’t, however, until the final twist when the full payoff to the slow buildup truly arrived. A tear-jerking and plot-shifting move, Tooley changed it all up with a final reveal that—while I sort of saw it coming—delivered a dose of hard-hitting consequences that took me out at the knees. So if you’re a fan of stories with emotional depth, an immersive atmosphere, and nuanced yet raw storytelling, grab this one now. It will leave you wrung out, but only in the best possible way. Rating of 4.25 stars.
Read if you’re a fan of:
- Young adult novels
- Thought-provoking themes
- Beautiful prose
- Haunted house settings
- Unreliable narrators
- Toxic female friendship
- Tear-jerking reads
- Dysfunctional families
- Emotional depth
- Supernatural events
- Cerebral stories
- Genre-bending books (a YA mystery + psychological thriller + speculative fiction + supernatural elements)
SYNOPSIS:
Willa Childs doesn't know why she's at Dorsey House. The tragic accident that banished her to the mysterious reformatory perched at the edge of the sea is lost in the recesses of her murky memory. The Dorseys themselves offer no answers, and the only other wards, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on keeping Willa in the dark—and on the outside of their obsessive friendship.
Yet as the days pass, it begins to feel like the sinister twosome knows Willa better than she knows herself. And as her memories gradually return to focus, the girls become even stranger, doing their best to convince Willa that she’s been at Dorsey House before. Only, that’s impossible.
Or is it? If they’re telling the truth, Willa can no longer trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare begins to blur. Willa is certain Dorsey House is haunted, but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how will she ever escape?
Thank you Adrienne Tooley, Delacorte Press, and Get Underlined for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: August 11, 2026
Content warning: suicidal ideation/suicide, grief, mental illness (depression), death of a parent, death of a child (sibling), teenage pregnancy, abortion, self-harm, car accident, fire, toxic friendship, parental neglect
August 25, 2026
I ended up really liking this book, at first I found it a little slow but the build up and the ending of the book was 100% worth getting to. This book had heartbreak and it was haunting and a bit spooky which is all great stuff for me. The characters all had distinct personalities and I really enjoyed my time with all of them. I really would love to know more about where the girls were though, like why that place and who are Margaret and Hal? I have so many questions regarding them and the setting, I just want more info because I’m so curious.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I loved Willa as the main character. It was such an interesting premise and it played out beautifully and I felt so many emotions while reading. I definitely recommend it!!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I loved Willa as the main character. It was such an interesting premise and it played out beautifully and I felt so many emotions while reading. I definitely recommend it!!
April 3, 2025
before reading: three queer girls by the sea fueled by emotions?!? GIVE IT TO ME NOW AND MY LIFE IS YOURS 😭😭😭
ARC review (thank you netgalley!)
from page one, the reader is equally lost as the main character, willa childs. she wakes up in a van, headed for house dorsey, where she arrives to two oddly intertwined girls who may or may not know her, and an older couple who are undeniably suspicious. willa is here to work on herself after a fire incident at home. the catch? she can’t leave, the other girls have tried.
we spend most of the novel following willa along her journey to uncover her memories, which seem shrouded in a fog that she cannot dispel. then there’s the whole puzzle of the dorsey house, it’s eerie existence along the sea and haunted halls. and the two other girls there with her… caroline and ivy, or as willa so aptly names them, carolivy—bonded at the hip. they exist as much on their own as they exist as a single person.
“they make friendship a verb, an active performance, one i have been so desperate to experience i would crush my own rib cage if i thought it would help me fit in.”
this book is strange and weird in all the right ways. from memories that seem to exist just out of reach, to fish eyeballs and wet footsteps. i am in awe of tooley’s atmospheric writing, and the way she is able to put you right into her main character’s head so effortlessly. this book is on the shorter end with roughly 200 pages, but it’s immersive and full of depth. and the end… oh, my soft heart was not expecting that. i was not prepared for that final twist, which was both emotionally devastating and somehow healing.
i think i speak for most people when i say tooley’s books always hit different as someone who struggles with depression and anxiety. she writes it so seemlessly, making it real, relatable, and never smaller than it actually is.
if you have ever felt like a burden, if you have ever felt afraid of asking for help, or being rejected and alone, if you are doing your best to survive - this book was written for you.
content warnings: grief, depression, suicide, loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and parental neglect.
ARC review (thank you netgalley!)
from page one, the reader is equally lost as the main character, willa childs. she wakes up in a van, headed for house dorsey, where she arrives to two oddly intertwined girls who may or may not know her, and an older couple who are undeniably suspicious. willa is here to work on herself after a fire incident at home. the catch? she can’t leave, the other girls have tried.
we spend most of the novel following willa along her journey to uncover her memories, which seem shrouded in a fog that she cannot dispel. then there’s the whole puzzle of the dorsey house, it’s eerie existence along the sea and haunted halls. and the two other girls there with her… caroline and ivy, or as willa so aptly names them, carolivy—bonded at the hip. they exist as much on their own as they exist as a single person.
“they make friendship a verb, an active performance, one i have been so desperate to experience i would crush my own rib cage if i thought it would help me fit in.”
this book is strange and weird in all the right ways. from memories that seem to exist just out of reach, to fish eyeballs and wet footsteps. i am in awe of tooley’s atmospheric writing, and the way she is able to put you right into her main character’s head so effortlessly. this book is on the shorter end with roughly 200 pages, but it’s immersive and full of depth. and the end… oh, my soft heart was not expecting that. i was not prepared for that final twist, which was both emotionally devastating and somehow healing.
i think i speak for most people when i say tooley’s books always hit different as someone who struggles with depression and anxiety. she writes it so seemlessly, making it real, relatable, and never smaller than it actually is.
if you have ever felt like a burden, if you have ever felt afraid of asking for help, or being rejected and alone, if you are doing your best to survive - this book was written for you.
content warnings: grief, depression, suicide, loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, teenage pregnancy, abortion, and parental neglect.
September 15, 2026
I did not expect this book to break my heart.
January 22, 2026
This book was the perfect kind of unsettling.Willa arrives at Dorsey House with absolutely no memory of who she is, why she’s there, or what happened before she washed up in this strange place. It’s a reformatory perched on the edge of the sea, already creepy on its own, but things get even worse when she meets the only other two girls there Caroline and Ivy who act like they already know her. Like they’ve been waiting for her.As the days pass, Willa starts to feel like she’s losing her grip on what’s real and what’s a lie. Caroline and Ivy keep pulling her deeper into their obsessive little world, and the more Willa tries to piece together the missing parts of her life, the more Dorsey House feels wrong. Like the walls are keeping secrets. Like the past is alive in there. And when her memories slowly begin coming back, the girls get even stranger almost desperate to convince her she’s been here before.Only that’s impossible. Right?This is the kind of story that’s weird in the best way And what hit me the hardest is how much this book tackles heavy subjects like grief, suicide, loss of a sibling and parent, parental neglect, teenage pregnancy, and abortion. It doesn’t hold back, and it made the emotional punches land even harder.As someone with depression and anxiety, this one genuinely wrecked me. It made me feel uncomfortable, it made me sad, and it made me tear up but I couldn’t stop reading. It’s haunting, heartbreaking, and just twisted enough to keep you questioning everything right alongside Willa.A little creepy, a lot emotional, and weird in exactly the right way.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is the kind of book the crawls into your head and makes its home there. It is both haunting and gorgeous about equal measures, about digging through pain and what it means to endure it. It is absolutely stunning all around.
August 26, 2026
(rounded up from 4.5)
I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did, and it's best to go in just as our POV character, Willa, does: disoriented, with little idea about what's going on or why, and suspicious of the other humans in Dorsey House. I'd rather not reveal much about the plot for the same reason, but I enjoyed the very limited cast of this book and the central mystery that slowly unfolds as Willa gets a better handle on weird things in Dorsey House and its caretakers.
I didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did, and it's best to go in just as our POV character, Willa, does: disoriented, with little idea about what's going on or why, and suspicious of the other humans in Dorsey House. I'd rather not reveal much about the plot for the same reason, but I enjoyed the very limited cast of this book and the central mystery that slowly unfolds as Willa gets a better handle on weird things in Dorsey House and its caretakers.
Did Not Finish
September 11, 2026dnf at 18%. I just felt like the whole thing was trying to hard and I couldn't relate/like any of the characters. It felt like the author was inspired after watching The Craft. Not for me.
Did Not Finish
May 27, 2026I was really into this at first, but around page fifty, I stopped caring. It felt like the author put more thought into weird and creepy descriptions than the actual plot/story. It seemed like this would be going in a bad direction, so I quit while I was ahead.
February 3, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, and Delacorte Press for the eARC!
"What a gift, to have been myself more than once. To have tried and failed and found myself still standing. To know that I have weathered storms and come out safely on the other side."
WOAH. At first I thought this was on some purely metaphysical and paranormal horror, but wooahhhhh Tooley definitely had me thinking at the end it was more of a psychological horror instead of fully creepy and scary. I thought it was a damn good book. It was entertaining, I felt like the pacing was good and certain parts weren't too long or slow, the characters (as much as I don't like Caroline how DARE SHE) were interesting to read about and there actions do speak for themselves as well (yes I'm still talking about you Caroline), and I didn't leave the book with unanswered questions but hope that Willa finds the light within herself again. As someone who has a personal history with suicide and suicidal ideations, this book definitely did open my eyes to really understand the complexity of emotions and ideations a person dealing with depression and grief goes through. When Willa said "Death is not the escape I imagined. It's simply another step in the endless journey." DAMN. I really felt bad for Willa throughout the book, and seeing everything that she had dealt with as far as her family, her friends, and her purpose for being at the Dorsey House like damnnnnn Willa you're just a kid!!! I flew this book entirely and enjoyed it so much, and I really liked the cross of addressing mental health alongside a little sprinkle of horror alongside a splash of thriller. Even though this book definitely is so much more than face value, I still enjoyed the story of the Dorsey house, what each character represents (especially Margaret holyyyyy), and how mental health and actually addressing your emotions and your past trauma instead of running from it or trying to forget it is soooooo powerful. Great job Adrienne Tooley, I would love to read more from them!
"What a gift, to have been myself more than once. To have tried and failed and found myself still standing. To know that I have weathered storms and come out safely on the other side."
WOAH. At first I thought this was on some purely metaphysical and paranormal horror, but wooahhhhh Tooley definitely had me thinking at the end it was more of a psychological horror instead of fully creepy and scary. I thought it was a damn good book. It was entertaining, I felt like the pacing was good and certain parts weren't too long or slow, the characters (as much as I don't like Caroline how DARE SHE) were interesting to read about and there actions do speak for themselves as well (yes I'm still talking about you Caroline), and I didn't leave the book with unanswered questions but hope that Willa finds the light within herself again. As someone who has a personal history with suicide and suicidal ideations, this book definitely did open my eyes to really understand the complexity of emotions and ideations a person dealing with depression and grief goes through. When Willa said "Death is not the escape I imagined. It's simply another step in the endless journey." DAMN. I really felt bad for Willa throughout the book, and seeing everything that she had dealt with as far as her family, her friends, and her purpose for being at the Dorsey House like damnnnnn Willa you're just a kid!!! I flew this book entirely and enjoyed it so much, and I really liked the cross of addressing mental health alongside a little sprinkle of horror alongside a splash of thriller. Even though this book definitely is so much more than face value, I still enjoyed the story of the Dorsey house, what each character represents (especially Margaret holyyyyy), and how mental health and actually addressing your emotions and your past trauma instead of running from it or trying to forget it is soooooo powerful. Great job Adrienne Tooley, I would love to read more from them!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Thank you, Penguin Teen Canada and NetGalley, for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 3.25/5⭐
Spice: no romance
Quick Summary: Set at Dorsey House, a mysterious reformatory perched on the edge of the sea, There Are Ghosts Here by Adrienne Tooley follows Willa Childs, who arrives with no memory of the accident that brought her there or of her life before. As she becomes entangled with two unsettling girls who claim to know more about her than she knows herself, fragments of her memories begin to resurface. The more Willa uncovers about Dorsey House, the more she questions whether she can trust her own mind or the reality around her.
Read if you like:
⚡️young adult paranormal thriller standalone
⚡️codependent, toxic female friendships
⚡️isolated, creepy seaside settings
⚡️psychological horror and memory-loss mysteries
⚡️We Were Liars meets paranormal fiction
If you like this, read this:
📚Kill Creatures by Rory Power
📚This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth
**SPOILER-FREE REVIEW**
Short statement: A well-balanced young adult thriller.
Things I liked: I loved the setting. The eerie vibes of the weather. The loneliness of the coastal house. The mystery of the story. The overall feel of this book was really great. There was a great blend between slight horror and full thriller. Shocking, right? Emmy liked a horror x thriller book. This book is going to be a great addition to my young adult horror/thriller book recommendation list.
I really liked the solution to the mystery (see "Things I didn't like" to know why I didn't rate this book higher). It took me a while before I started to suspect what was really going on at the Dorsey house. Especially since I have a horrible habit of always guessing the ending of a book, the fact that it took me so long to realize what was going on is amazing. I have a hard time finding books like this one. I'm glad I can add There Are Ghosts Here to the short list of books that stumped me.
The characters were very fun and animated in this book. I adored Caroline's character. She had an interesting personality: at times she felt very sweet and caring, while at other times she felt very conniving and mean. That is a hard combination to pull off, so shout-out to Tooley for creating such a fascinating character. I would also like to give an honourable mention to Ivy, who kept me entertained as well.
Things I didn’t like: I never felt like we really got to know the characters. Even the main character. I felt like there was so much more that we could've gotten from Willa. Like, we got her back story and a brief explanation of her family relationships, but I wanted more. I feel like for the ending of the book to be powerful, we needed more depth to Willa. By the end of the book, Willa still felt like a child whose story I was reading, rather than a world I was sucked into. This book and its ending had such potential, but I wasn't shell-shocked by any of it. With the whole picture in mind, Willa should've been plagued more by her memories, in my opinion. I know that Willa is still young, but I feel like the memories/her life leading up to the Dorsey house didn't warrant the choices she made. Once you get to the end of this book, you'll know what I mean by that.
This book was pitched as a main character who questions her own mind or an unreliable narrator. I love a good unreliable narrator, so I was excited to get started on this book, but I don't think that description was very fitting. I think this story had great potential for executing this trope successfully, but it fell short. If we had more information about Willa's past, or if Willa focused more on her own story rather than the mystery of the Dorsey house, then the twist at the end would have had more of an impact on us readers.
If this is/was a series, would I continue? no, because it doesn't need a second book
Is this a genre/type of book I would normally read? yes
If no, did the genre/type of book affect my rating? n/a
Do I recommend it? yeah
Who would I recommend it to? anyone looking for a quick and easy young adult thriller read
**Content and Structure Overview**
Age Category: young adult
Fiction/Non-Fiction: fiction
Genre: paranormal, thriller, horror
Series/Standalone: standalone
POV: single POV, first person, present tense
POV Character(s): 16-year-old female (Willa Childs)
Romance: n/a
Spice: 0/5🌶️
Is there heavy kissing? no
Wandering hands/mouths? no
Is there below-the-belt shenanigans? no
Is there a fade-to-black scene? no
Is there on-page horizontal tango? no
Is there profanity? yes
F-word? yes
If I had a kid in MIDDLE school, would I let them read this? maybe, if you're okay with a little profanity
If I had a kid in HIGH school, would I let them read this? yes
Book-to-screen adaptation? no
Trigger Warnings: fire and arson, emesis, mild descriptions of bodily injuries (cuts, rocks in wounds, blood, missing eyes), descriptions of a drowned body, off-page death of an animal/animal eyeball, off-page abortion/brief talk of abortion, teen pregnancy, suicide and suicidal ideation, depression and grief, death of a family member, dysfunctional family relationship
Rating: 3.25/5⭐
Spice: no romance
Quick Summary: Set at Dorsey House, a mysterious reformatory perched on the edge of the sea, There Are Ghosts Here by Adrienne Tooley follows Willa Childs, who arrives with no memory of the accident that brought her there or of her life before. As she becomes entangled with two unsettling girls who claim to know more about her than she knows herself, fragments of her memories begin to resurface. The more Willa uncovers about Dorsey House, the more she questions whether she can trust her own mind or the reality around her.
Read if you like:
⚡️young adult paranormal thriller standalone
⚡️codependent, toxic female friendships
⚡️isolated, creepy seaside settings
⚡️psychological horror and memory-loss mysteries
⚡️We Were Liars meets paranormal fiction
If you like this, read this:
📚Kill Creatures by Rory Power
📚This Raging Sea by De Elizabeth
**SPOILER-FREE REVIEW**
Short statement: A well-balanced young adult thriller.
Things I liked: I loved the setting. The eerie vibes of the weather. The loneliness of the coastal house. The mystery of the story. The overall feel of this book was really great. There was a great blend between slight horror and full thriller. Shocking, right? Emmy liked a horror x thriller book. This book is going to be a great addition to my young adult horror/thriller book recommendation list.
I really liked the solution to the mystery (see "Things I didn't like" to know why I didn't rate this book higher). It took me a while before I started to suspect what was really going on at the Dorsey house. Especially since I have a horrible habit of always guessing the ending of a book, the fact that it took me so long to realize what was going on is amazing. I have a hard time finding books like this one. I'm glad I can add There Are Ghosts Here to the short list of books that stumped me.
The characters were very fun and animated in this book. I adored Caroline's character. She had an interesting personality: at times she felt very sweet and caring, while at other times she felt very conniving and mean. That is a hard combination to pull off, so shout-out to Tooley for creating such a fascinating character. I would also like to give an honourable mention to Ivy, who kept me entertained as well.
Things I didn’t like: I never felt like we really got to know the characters. Even the main character. I felt like there was so much more that we could've gotten from Willa. Like, we got her back story and a brief explanation of her family relationships, but I wanted more. I feel like for the ending of the book to be powerful, we needed more depth to Willa. By the end of the book, Willa still felt like a child whose story I was reading, rather than a world I was sucked into. This book and its ending had such potential, but I wasn't shell-shocked by any of it. With the whole picture in mind, Willa should've been plagued more by her memories, in my opinion. I know that Willa is still young, but I feel like the memories/her life leading up to the Dorsey house didn't warrant the choices she made. Once you get to the end of this book, you'll know what I mean by that.
This book was pitched as a main character who questions her own mind or an unreliable narrator. I love a good unreliable narrator, so I was excited to get started on this book, but I don't think that description was very fitting. I think this story had great potential for executing this trope successfully, but it fell short. If we had more information about Willa's past, or if Willa focused more on her own story rather than the mystery of the Dorsey house, then the twist at the end would have had more of an impact on us readers.
If this is/was a series, would I continue? no, because it doesn't need a second book
Is this a genre/type of book I would normally read? yes
If no, did the genre/type of book affect my rating? n/a
Do I recommend it? yeah
Who would I recommend it to? anyone looking for a quick and easy young adult thriller read
**Content and Structure Overview**
Age Category: young adult
Fiction/Non-Fiction: fiction
Genre: paranormal, thriller, horror
Series/Standalone: standalone
POV: single POV, first person, present tense
POV Character(s): 16-year-old female (Willa Childs)
Romance: n/a
Spice: 0/5🌶️
Is there heavy kissing? no
Wandering hands/mouths? no
Is there below-the-belt shenanigans? no
Is there a fade-to-black scene? no
Is there on-page horizontal tango? no
Is there profanity? yes
F-word? yes
If I had a kid in MIDDLE school, would I let them read this? maybe, if you're okay with a little profanity
If I had a kid in HIGH school, would I let them read this? yes
Book-to-screen adaptation? no
Trigger Warnings: fire and arson, emesis, mild descriptions of bodily injuries (cuts, rocks in wounds, blood, missing eyes), descriptions of a drowned body, off-page death of an animal/animal eyeball, off-page abortion/brief talk of abortion, teen pregnancy, suicide and suicidal ideation, depression and grief, death of a family member, dysfunctional family relationship
August 23, 2026
4.5 ★
WOAH this was so unique and twisty and beautiful!!! i went into it thinking i was just getting a horror/thriller book, but it turned out to be so much more. some of the most gorgeous writing i’ve read in a long time and a story that’ll definitely bring out your emotions!
WOAH this was so unique and twisty and beautiful!!! i went into it thinking i was just getting a horror/thriller book, but it turned out to be so much more. some of the most gorgeous writing i’ve read in a long time and a story that’ll definitely bring out your emotions!
August 24, 2026
Loved this. Loved the vibe. Loved the story. Loved how the author wrote the subject matter.
December 29, 2025
This was a well written book with an interesting story and well defined characters. I would describe this as a mystery with a touch of supernatural. Although I would describe this as a mystery, there wasn’t a single time I was surprised. I think it was fairly obvious throughout the book how it was going to end, but it was a quick read and I did enjoy it. I think this is a perfect read for young adults who are wanting to get into thrillers.
June 2, 2026
This book is remarkably solitary - in a way that feels like a major departure from Tooley’s other books (beyond the obvious fact that they’re fantasy and this is contemporary-adjacent). Caroline and especially Ivy never really get to become real people? We catch glimpses of them, but Willa has so little meaningful overlap with them once she finally figures out what’s going on that they become shockingly irrelevant. Which I honestly found a little disappointing. I would have loved to see more cracks in Caroline’s shell or some kind of acknowledgement of their separate parallel journeys.
I also think the major grief theme comes too late. By the time we get to it, Willa has already all but found her way out and doesn’t have to sit with it. Spending more time with Willa’s or Ivy’s or Caroline’s or anyone else’s grief would have been powerful. Especially with the glimpse we got of Ivy’s story.
This is a quiet story, and I, for some reason, didn’t know to expect that. I had somehow convinced myself that it was horror and there would be more of those elements…
{Thank you Delacorte Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
I also think the major grief theme comes too late. By the time we get to it, Willa has already all but found her way out and doesn’t have to sit with it. Spending more time with Willa’s or Ivy’s or Caroline’s or anyone else’s grief would have been powerful. Especially with the glimpse we got of Ivy’s story.
This is a quiet story, and I, for some reason, didn’t know to expect that. I had somehow convinced myself that it was horror and there would be more of those elements…
{Thank you Delacorte Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review; all thoughts are my own}
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Content Warning: This books deals with suicide, loss of a sibling, loss of a parent, depression, grief, teenage pregnancy, abortion and parental neglect. For a full list of warnings and resources go to adriennetooley.com
In this entrancing novel a young woman wakes up covered in soot and smelling of smoke in a car on her way to a place she has never seen before.
Willa finds herself at Dorsey House for girls, a place that is to be her new home for however long it takes for her to “figure out her journey” as the owner Margaret says. Willa doesn’t want to figure out her journey; she wants to go home. She doesn’t understand why her mother would send her to this place.
Two strange and rude girls by the names of Caroline and Ivy make her stay at Dorsey House a living hell right from the first night. Caroline acts high and mighty like she knows everything there is to know and implies that Willa was sent to Dorsey House for burning her home down.
A ghost of a drowned woman haunts Willa’s dreams and somehow finds a way into Willa’s waking world as well. During mandated sessions with Margaret she realizes something is not quite right. All it takes is touching Margaret's hands and she finds herself sinking into unhappy memories almost as though she has been drugged. Within those memories full of sorrow and anger she finds herself face to face with the drowned girl again.
Something is familiar about her though. This place, this halfway house that the girls are living in, is filled to the brim with secrets and the stories of lives of many other girls that once graced its halls. Caroline and Ivy bring to light for Willa that she has been here before just as a different her. That she walked into the ocean and reset her cycle after learning something from her memories that she couldn’t handle. All three of them have restarted cycles all trying to figure out how to escape Dorsey house.
Willa is close to uncovering what she needs to leave Dorsey House, but that means confronting painful truths and learning to accept things as they are. Only then can she take the drowning lady’s hand and let the ocean sweep her away.
Thank you so much to #Netgalley and #DelacortePress for the chance to read the eArc of #ThereAreGhostsHere by #AdrienneTooley in return for a fair and honest review.
In this entrancing novel a young woman wakes up covered in soot and smelling of smoke in a car on her way to a place she has never seen before.
Willa finds herself at Dorsey House for girls, a place that is to be her new home for however long it takes for her to “figure out her journey” as the owner Margaret says. Willa doesn’t want to figure out her journey; she wants to go home. She doesn’t understand why her mother would send her to this place.
Two strange and rude girls by the names of Caroline and Ivy make her stay at Dorsey House a living hell right from the first night. Caroline acts high and mighty like she knows everything there is to know and implies that Willa was sent to Dorsey House for burning her home down.
A ghost of a drowned woman haunts Willa’s dreams and somehow finds a way into Willa’s waking world as well. During mandated sessions with Margaret she realizes something is not quite right. All it takes is touching Margaret's hands and she finds herself sinking into unhappy memories almost as though she has been drugged. Within those memories full of sorrow and anger she finds herself face to face with the drowned girl again.
Something is familiar about her though. This place, this halfway house that the girls are living in, is filled to the brim with secrets and the stories of lives of many other girls that once graced its halls. Caroline and Ivy bring to light for Willa that she has been here before just as a different her. That she walked into the ocean and reset her cycle after learning something from her memories that she couldn’t handle. All three of them have restarted cycles all trying to figure out how to escape Dorsey house.
Willa is close to uncovering what she needs to leave Dorsey House, but that means confronting painful truths and learning to accept things as they are. Only then can she take the drowning lady’s hand and let the ocean sweep her away.
Thank you so much to #Netgalley and #DelacortePress for the chance to read the eArc of #ThereAreGhostsHere by #AdrienneTooley in return for a fair and honest review.
September 1, 2026
Book rating: 4.25 ⭐️
Genre: gothic horror
Themes: haunting, remote setting, grief, dysfunctional families, supernatural
📖 Read if you like: Piranesi
This book really shocked me. It started off slow and I was getting more home for delinquent teenagers than thriller, but as the story progressed it turned into a psychological tale of grief and processing that stayed with me after the final page. It was sinister and blended together speculative fiction with a contemporary ghost story to great effect. I was riveted by the end.
Willa has no memory of the fire she supposedly started that landed her in Dorsey House. A remote and derelict reformatory at the edge of the sea home two mean girls and two elderly caretakers. Caroline and Ivy are like sinister twins intent on punishing Willa through a sort of obsessive hazing. What starts as mean girl fun soon turns into something far more, as Carolivy reveal that Willa has been to Dorsey House before. When the truth is rewritten with every cycle, it seems that the only way to truly leave Dorsey House is to finally understand its purpose.
It is a slow unraveling of the mind that makes Willa question her reality and herself. With unreliable memories and mysterious happenings, there is a sense of eerie dread and raw disbelief that leaves both characters and readers with an uneasiness. It is a feeling that is perfectly matched by the remote and desolate setting.
YA can either be a hit or a miss for me, but this haunting tale of the effects of trauma and healing was full of depth and really atmospheric. It captured the loneliness and haunting memories of grief in a twisted and emotionally gut-wrenching story. There is an air of the paranormal and teenage drama with all the toxic behaviour and dysfunctional relationships, but the messy and complex characters delivered a plot that constantly had me shifting on my feet.
Thank you to Penguin House Children’s Book for an eARC of this genre bending emotional roller coaster. It really surprised me with its depth and complex characterization with an ingenious intersection of themes and human behavioural science.
Genre: gothic horror
Themes: haunting, remote setting, grief, dysfunctional families, supernatural
📖 Read if you like: Piranesi
This book really shocked me. It started off slow and I was getting more home for delinquent teenagers than thriller, but as the story progressed it turned into a psychological tale of grief and processing that stayed with me after the final page. It was sinister and blended together speculative fiction with a contemporary ghost story to great effect. I was riveted by the end.
Willa has no memory of the fire she supposedly started that landed her in Dorsey House. A remote and derelict reformatory at the edge of the sea home two mean girls and two elderly caretakers. Caroline and Ivy are like sinister twins intent on punishing Willa through a sort of obsessive hazing. What starts as mean girl fun soon turns into something far more, as Carolivy reveal that Willa has been to Dorsey House before. When the truth is rewritten with every cycle, it seems that the only way to truly leave Dorsey House is to finally understand its purpose.
It is a slow unraveling of the mind that makes Willa question her reality and herself. With unreliable memories and mysterious happenings, there is a sense of eerie dread and raw disbelief that leaves both characters and readers with an uneasiness. It is a feeling that is perfectly matched by the remote and desolate setting.
YA can either be a hit or a miss for me, but this haunting tale of the effects of trauma and healing was full of depth and really atmospheric. It captured the loneliness and haunting memories of grief in a twisted and emotionally gut-wrenching story. There is an air of the paranormal and teenage drama with all the toxic behaviour and dysfunctional relationships, but the messy and complex characters delivered a plot that constantly had me shifting on my feet.
Thank you to Penguin House Children’s Book for an eARC of this genre bending emotional roller coaster. It really surprised me with its depth and complex characterization with an ingenious intersection of themes and human behavioural science.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
First things first: this book deals with some heavy topics, like teenage mental health and dysfunctional family relationships/dynamics. If these are triggering topics for you, this may not be the right read for you.
What. A. Ride. I could hardly put this book down, I was so glued to every second, every word. The atmosphere, the characters, the story! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Willa arrives at a crumbling coastal house, perched in the edge of a cliff, which she discovers acts as a halfway house for troubled young women, run by a seemingly nice enough couple, and already housing two other girls. The atmosphere is intense and ominous, she can’t get straight answers about what happened to send her there, and the other girls, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on tormenting her - oh, and she’s having strange visions of a ghostly woman from wrapped in seaweed. Willa figures she needs to get the truth behind Dorsey House before it’s too late.
While the story is simple enough on it’s face: a girl arriving at a strange house in the middle of nowhere, the author does a great job of adding in several twists at various points that make the story really pop and add even more excitement to the already tense and heavily atmospheric setup. As things become more clear, there were times when I had literally jaw-dropping moments, with big reveals and mic-dropping moments leaving me speechless! I loved it! This author knows how to write a twist!
The ending was fabulous as well. So satisfying. That’s all I’ll say.
Overall, go buy this book. Like yesterday. It is the type of tense, ghostly, spooky story I love to cuddle up with at night and just sink into. You won’t be disappointed!
What. A. Ride. I could hardly put this book down, I was so glued to every second, every word. The atmosphere, the characters, the story! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
Willa arrives at a crumbling coastal house, perched in the edge of a cliff, which she discovers acts as a halfway house for troubled young women, run by a seemingly nice enough couple, and already housing two other girls. The atmosphere is intense and ominous, she can’t get straight answers about what happened to send her there, and the other girls, Caroline and Ivy, seem intent on tormenting her - oh, and she’s having strange visions of a ghostly woman from wrapped in seaweed. Willa figures she needs to get the truth behind Dorsey House before it’s too late.
While the story is simple enough on it’s face: a girl arriving at a strange house in the middle of nowhere, the author does a great job of adding in several twists at various points that make the story really pop and add even more excitement to the already tense and heavily atmospheric setup. As things become more clear, there were times when I had literally jaw-dropping moments, with big reveals and mic-dropping moments leaving me speechless! I loved it! This author knows how to write a twist!
The ending was fabulous as well. So satisfying. That’s all I’ll say.
Overall, go buy this book. Like yesterday. It is the type of tense, ghostly, spooky story I love to cuddle up with at night and just sink into. You won’t be disappointed!
Review of advance copy
Everything looks different in the light.
This was a beautiful, powerful book. I don't know if I would classify it has a thriller or Ya, for some of the words and topics might be a little to complex for some youth. But otherwise its a beautiful metaphor for "drowning in grief" and how missing someone never gets easier but it gets different the longer you live with it. Eventually it's no longer an open wound but a bruise. It still hurts but only when you press it. And when you aren't in constant pain you finally have room to remember the good things. There's moments you try to hide from the pain but remember ignorance does not make grief easier instead it festers and intensifies. Life and grief are like the tide, it does not change it only repeats, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing. The problem is that grief is not transmutable, you cannot pass it off to anyone. You cannot escape your pain, only defer it. You may in life be afraid of being a burden, of being rejected, of being alone, terrified to ask for help and even more frightened of accepting it but its better to address the pool of hurt and not suppress your suffering. Death is not an escape, its only another step in an endless journey. Sometimes the past can hold a person back, but what a gift to have been yourself more than once. This book shows that through different experiences we become different versions of ourselves over and over again. It's a gift to have tried and failed and found ourselves still standing. To know we have weathered storms and come out safely on the other side. And we are ready for whatever comes next. The only way out is through. Forward is free.
This was a beautiful, powerful book. I don't know if I would classify it has a thriller or Ya, for some of the words and topics might be a little to complex for some youth. But otherwise its a beautiful metaphor for "drowning in grief" and how missing someone never gets easier but it gets different the longer you live with it. Eventually it's no longer an open wound but a bruise. It still hurts but only when you press it. And when you aren't in constant pain you finally have room to remember the good things. There's moments you try to hide from the pain but remember ignorance does not make grief easier instead it festers and intensifies. Life and grief are like the tide, it does not change it only repeats, rising and falling, ebbing and flowing. The problem is that grief is not transmutable, you cannot pass it off to anyone. You cannot escape your pain, only defer it. You may in life be afraid of being a burden, of being rejected, of being alone, terrified to ask for help and even more frightened of accepting it but its better to address the pool of hurt and not suppress your suffering. Death is not an escape, its only another step in an endless journey. Sometimes the past can hold a person back, but what a gift to have been yourself more than once. This book shows that through different experiences we become different versions of ourselves over and over again. It's a gift to have tried and failed and found ourselves still standing. To know we have weathered storms and come out safely on the other side. And we are ready for whatever comes next. The only way out is through. Forward is free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2026
I read this one in an afternoon. Again. Apparently, I have decided that my preferred method of spending my free time is voluntarily allowing a book to mess with my head. Excellent life choices all around.
This is one of those books that is extremely difficult to explain without accidentally ruining the entire experience, so I’m not even going to try. My advice? Go in blind. Don’t Google too much. Don’t read seventeen reviews looking for clues. Just pick it up, trust the process, and let the book slowly convince you that you, too, can no longer distinguish between reality, lies, and whatever fresh nonsense is happening at Dorsey House.
Willa arrives at the mysterious reformatory with no memory of what happened before she got there. Then there are Caroline and Ivy, two very sinister girls who apparently know WAY more about Willa than they should. Naturally, Willa starts questioning everything. Naturally, so did I.
I really enjoyed the creepy, unsettling atmosphere and the whole Wait…WHAT?! quality of the story. It kept me guessing, which is exactly what I want from a speculative thriller.
My one complaint? I still have questions. I wish we had gotten to know more about some of the other characters because there are definitely a few things I would like explained. Preferably with a PowerPoint presentation and several supporting documents.
Overall, this was a fast, twisty, atmospheric read that kept me turning pages until I had accidentally finished the entire thing. So, you know… typical.
Many thanks to Get Underlined and Delacorte Press for this gifted copy.
This is one of those books that is extremely difficult to explain without accidentally ruining the entire experience, so I’m not even going to try. My advice? Go in blind. Don’t Google too much. Don’t read seventeen reviews looking for clues. Just pick it up, trust the process, and let the book slowly convince you that you, too, can no longer distinguish between reality, lies, and whatever fresh nonsense is happening at Dorsey House.
Willa arrives at the mysterious reformatory with no memory of what happened before she got there. Then there are Caroline and Ivy, two very sinister girls who apparently know WAY more about Willa than they should. Naturally, Willa starts questioning everything. Naturally, so did I.
I really enjoyed the creepy, unsettling atmosphere and the whole Wait…WHAT?! quality of the story. It kept me guessing, which is exactly what I want from a speculative thriller.
My one complaint? I still have questions. I wish we had gotten to know more about some of the other characters because there are definitely a few things I would like explained. Preferably with a PowerPoint presentation and several supporting documents.
Overall, this was a fast, twisty, atmospheric read that kept me turning pages until I had accidentally finished the entire thing. So, you know… typical.
Many thanks to Get Underlined and Delacorte Press for this gifted copy.
January 24, 2026
𐔌 . ⋮ 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒈𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 .ᐟ ֹ ₊ ꒱
𝒋𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 #15
˚ ༘ 🗝️🪷🍚📓⋆｡˚
—𝒑𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ౨ৎ
thank you to netgalley and the author for the e-arc ♡
—𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ❦
this was really beautiful, in a haunting way that i'm sure will never leave me.
➸ at first, it creeped me out so bad and i didn't really pick it up for a day or two.. i'm so glad i gave it a second chance, though!
➸ i loved willa so much. i thought she was beautifully written, complex, and all of her decisions were smart and accurate to her character. she was so interesting to follow, and my heart broke for her when her reasons for being at dorsey house were revealed.
➸ carolivy were... something else. my feelings on caroline are still mixed, so i don't have a final verdict on her, but i loved ivy and i hope she turns out okay. what willa said to her towards the end made me so happy, and i was so grateful that willa told ivy those reassurances 🥹
➸ the dorsey house mystery was pretty interesting! i think i mainly kept reading because of wanting an explanation, up until the 40% mark. the pacing was a little hard to get through, i will say
➸ the way it deals with grief was truly unforgettable. i loved every portrayal, and the idea of dorsey house being a halfway point was so memorable. the entire idea behind this novel was certainly unique, and i can say i've never read anything like it!
— 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𓆩♡𓆪
memorable, unique, and beautifully written with complex characters and an intriguing mystery!
𝒋𝒂𝒏𝒖𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝓫𝓸𝓸𝓴 #15
˚ ༘ 🗝️🪷🍚📓⋆｡˚
—𝒑𝒓𝒆-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ౨ৎ
thank you to netgalley and the author for the e-arc ♡
—𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅 ❦
this was really beautiful, in a haunting way that i'm sure will never leave me.
➸ at first, it creeped me out so bad and i didn't really pick it up for a day or two.. i'm so glad i gave it a second chance, though!
➸ i loved willa so much. i thought she was beautifully written, complex, and all of her decisions were smart and accurate to her character. she was so interesting to follow, and my heart broke for her when her reasons for being at dorsey house were revealed.
➸ carolivy were... something else. my feelings on caroline are still mixed, so i don't have a final verdict on her, but i loved ivy and i hope she turns out okay. what willa said to her towards the end made me so happy, and i was so grateful that willa told ivy those reassurances 🥹
➸ the dorsey house mystery was pretty interesting! i think i mainly kept reading because of wanting an explanation, up until the 40% mark. the pacing was a little hard to get through, i will say
➸ the way it deals with grief was truly unforgettable. i loved every portrayal, and the idea of dorsey house being a halfway point was so memorable. the entire idea behind this novel was certainly unique, and i can say i've never read anything like it!
— 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𓆩♡𓆪
memorable, unique, and beautifully written with complex characters and an intriguing mystery!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There Are Ghosts Here is an intense and haunting study of grief, memory, and the mind’s frightening power to both protect and torment itself. Adrienney Tooley’s speculative thriller is less a traditional ghost story and more a finely detailed psychological labyrinth.
The narrative follows Willa as she arrives at the grey, sea-locked Dorsey House, a place of uncanny cycles and elusive memories. With fellow residents Caroline and Ivy, she is caught in a mysterious pattern, haunted by a spectral figure known as the “Drowned Lady.” The Victorian home is a poignant backdrop for a more profound mystery: why are they here, and what must they confront to be free?
Tooley masterfully uses the atmosphere of gothic horror—the creepy house, the ominous ghost, the fragmented past—to explore themes of guilt, abandonment, and depression. The novel is a gripping puzzle, but its real strength is in the emotional power of its characters’ journeys. The story suggests that sometimes the most unsettling hauntings come from within, and the only escape is to face what we have buried.
Deeply moving and psychologically acute, There Are Ghosts Here is a standout. It is a touching read that skillfully uses speculative elements to illuminate raw human experience, leaving a lasting impression beyond the final page.
Recommended for readers of: Atmospheric gothic fiction, nuanced psychological drama, and stories which merge mystery with deep emotional truth.
The narrative follows Willa as she arrives at the grey, sea-locked Dorsey House, a place of uncanny cycles and elusive memories. With fellow residents Caroline and Ivy, she is caught in a mysterious pattern, haunted by a spectral figure known as the “Drowned Lady.” The Victorian home is a poignant backdrop for a more profound mystery: why are they here, and what must they confront to be free?
Tooley masterfully uses the atmosphere of gothic horror—the creepy house, the ominous ghost, the fragmented past—to explore themes of guilt, abandonment, and depression. The novel is a gripping puzzle, but its real strength is in the emotional power of its characters’ journeys. The story suggests that sometimes the most unsettling hauntings come from within, and the only escape is to face what we have buried.
Deeply moving and psychologically acute, There Are Ghosts Here is a standout. It is a touching read that skillfully uses speculative elements to illuminate raw human experience, leaving a lasting impression beyond the final page.
Recommended for readers of: Atmospheric gothic fiction, nuanced psychological drama, and stories which merge mystery with deep emotional truth.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There Are Ghosts Here had me locked into Willa's story immediately. Her experience is immediately unsettling, the gaps in her memory enticing the reader along the way. And while I think this book is one to go into as blind as possible, this is a mystery with grief horror elements to it so I absolutely encourage readers to research content warnings if they need to. Adrienne Tooley has been kind enough to compile a content warning list and I'm happy to answer any questions privately to help save others from spoilers.
This is one of those books that I finished and immediately preordered a physical copy of because it's already under my skin enough to know I want to revisit. Even with the layers of mystery and the memories Willa and our other characters are trying to resolve, the character development has incredible focus. We get clear snapshots of who these people are- sometimes subtly and sometimes more overt, but always in a way that makes them more intriguing. The setting is wholely immersive and the perfect location for mysteries and slightly supernatural happenings.
Ultimately, There Are Ghosts Here is both compelling and skilled in picking at pain points in an amazing way. It's a beautifully unexpected portrayal of the impact of grief, growth, and processing who we are along the way.
((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, & Adrienne Tooley for this complimentary copy.))
This is one of those books that I finished and immediately preordered a physical copy of because it's already under my skin enough to know I want to revisit. Even with the layers of mystery and the memories Willa and our other characters are trying to resolve, the character development has incredible focus. We get clear snapshots of who these people are- sometimes subtly and sometimes more overt, but always in a way that makes them more intriguing. The setting is wholely immersive and the perfect location for mysteries and slightly supernatural happenings.
Ultimately, There Are Ghosts Here is both compelling and skilled in picking at pain points in an amazing way. It's a beautifully unexpected portrayal of the impact of grief, growth, and processing who we are along the way.
((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House Children's Books, & Adrienne Tooley for this complimentary copy.))
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I want to thank netgalley for the eARC of There Are Ghosts Here to read and provide my honest, spoiler free review.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Thoughts:
This is my first ever read by Adrienne Tooley and I feel like I have been missing out on a lot. This was such an immersive, atmospheric read that made me feel on edge while reading. The tagline of “What Haunts You Will Find You” is so spot on with this book and you will be in for a very interesting and wild ride while reading.
The writing style really drew me in from the very start. The haunting quality to it made me feel like I was reading or watching a spooky movie play out right in front of me. I love it when an author can make me feel like I’m inside of the story along with the main characters and that’s what Adrienne did for me with this book. I didn’t know who or what I could trust and I couldn’t shake this feeling that there was something always lurking around the corner.
Willa, Caroline and Ivy were very interesting characters. They were all so eerie and sinister that I was trying to figure out what happened to make them like this. Especially with Willa not knowing how she got to Dorsey House and all her memories gone. I feel like not remembering anything is probably one of my fears and seeing how everything played out made for a shocking moment twist after twist. There is a lot of heavy topics in this book so do check your trigger warnings before reading!
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
My Thoughts:
This is my first ever read by Adrienne Tooley and I feel like I have been missing out on a lot. This was such an immersive, atmospheric read that made me feel on edge while reading. The tagline of “What Haunts You Will Find You” is so spot on with this book and you will be in for a very interesting and wild ride while reading.
The writing style really drew me in from the very start. The haunting quality to it made me feel like I was reading or watching a spooky movie play out right in front of me. I love it when an author can make me feel like I’m inside of the story along with the main characters and that’s what Adrienne did for me with this book. I didn’t know who or what I could trust and I couldn’t shake this feeling that there was something always lurking around the corner.
Willa, Caroline and Ivy were very interesting characters. They were all so eerie and sinister that I was trying to figure out what happened to make them like this. Especially with Willa not knowing how she got to Dorsey House and all her memories gone. I feel like not remembering anything is probably one of my fears and seeing how everything played out made for a shocking moment twist after twist. There is a lot of heavy topics in this book so do check your trigger warnings before reading!
September 16, 2026
3.5 stars, rounded up. Is this a ghost story? I would have to say no (and this is just my opinion, YMMV). Even before I found out about the twist (which I suspected early on in the book), it didn't feel like a ghost story. It seemed more like the ghost or ghosts that were haunting Willa were more like manifestations of whatever she went through before she came to Dorsey House, much in the same vein as the "ghosts" in The Haunting of Hill House. Similarly, while the mood Tooley sets is appropriate gray and apprehensive, I never felt like it was truly creepy.
That being said, this was a good book. Tooley's prose is strong and does a very good job exploring grief and the ways we try to cope, including denial, suspicion, and even reframing and repressing memories. I enjoyed WIlla's journey (it was her own) and I would have liked to see more of Caroline and Ivy, to be honest. They started off as more interesting characters, but faded as the story went on.
Two things I didn't enjoy as much: the pacing (it starts off really slow) and surprisingly, the ending. As I mentioned, I saw some form of the twist coming, but the way it actually came through probably also could have used a little more foreshadowing and development.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
That being said, this was a good book. Tooley's prose is strong and does a very good job exploring grief and the ways we try to cope, including denial, suspicion, and even reframing and repressing memories. I enjoyed WIlla's journey (it was her own) and I would have liked to see more of Caroline and Ivy, to be honest. They started off as more interesting characters, but faded as the story went on.
Two things I didn't enjoy as much: the pacing (it starts off really slow) and surprisingly, the ending. As I mentioned, I saw some form of the twist coming, but the way it actually came through probably also could have used a little more foreshadowing and development.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There are Ghosts Here follows Willa as she arrives at Dorsey House with no memories of why she’s there. When she meets two girls already there who seem to know her, she begins losing her grip on reality and works to uncover the truth.
Adrienne Tooley is such a great author! I really love her book and her writing style. Her prose is so beautiful. I thought this one was really great. It’s a new departure from her usual fantasies but no less enjoyable. This book felt heavy and has a lot of great conversations and themes, especially around grief, suicide, parental neglect and loss. I thought everything was handled really well and I think people will be able to relate really well to Willa.
The other major vibe of this book is how eerie and haunting it is. Dorsey House is super unsettling and so are Caroline and Ivy at first. The mystery element of what exactly is going on was teased out really well and I enjoyed the reveal/twist near the end. I thought Willa was a great main character. She’s been through a lot and still unpacks even more throughout the novel. She was so easy to root for and I felt so bad for her. The characters in this one really shine with their complexity.
If you love speculative thrillers, definitely go check this out!
Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc!
Adrienne Tooley is such a great author! I really love her book and her writing style. Her prose is so beautiful. I thought this one was really great. It’s a new departure from her usual fantasies but no less enjoyable. This book felt heavy and has a lot of great conversations and themes, especially around grief, suicide, parental neglect and loss. I thought everything was handled really well and I think people will be able to relate really well to Willa.
The other major vibe of this book is how eerie and haunting it is. Dorsey House is super unsettling and so are Caroline and Ivy at first. The mystery element of what exactly is going on was teased out really well and I enjoyed the reveal/twist near the end. I thought Willa was a great main character. She’s been through a lot and still unpacks even more throughout the novel. She was so easy to root for and I felt so bad for her. The characters in this one really shine with their complexity.
If you love speculative thrillers, definitely go check this out!
Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc!
April 28, 2026
Thank you Get Underlined @getunderlined and Adrienne Tooley @adriennetooley for this free book! PUBLISHES AUGUST 11, 2026.
“There are Ghosts Here” by Adrienne Tooley. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: YA Speculative Thriller. Location: Dorsey House, a seaside reformatory.
A tragic accident in the past sent Willa Childs to the mysterious reformatory at the edge of the sea, but she has no memory of it. Now she’s back. She meets the 2 current residents (sinister, obsessive Caroline and Ivy). As days pass, it feels to Willa like they know her better than she knows herself. As her memories surface, the strange girls try to convince her she’s lived at Dorsey House before. If they’re telling the truth, Willa can’t trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare blurs. Willa believes Dorsey House is haunted-but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how can she escape?
Author Tooley’s book is a character-driven study of a young woman’s traumatized mind, dumped into an atmosphere of (possibly) supernatural horror. She doesn’t shy away from intense subjects, covering suicide, teen pregnancy, child neglect, grief. Her book explores toxic female friendship, made extra scary because it’s so psychologically haunting. Tooley, author of “Sweet & Bitter Magic”, has done it again. It’s strange, weird, unsettling, heartbreaking, and it’s 5⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼🦳
“There are Ghosts Here” by Adrienne Tooley. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: YA Speculative Thriller. Location: Dorsey House, a seaside reformatory.
A tragic accident in the past sent Willa Childs to the mysterious reformatory at the edge of the sea, but she has no memory of it. Now she’s back. She meets the 2 current residents (sinister, obsessive Caroline and Ivy). As days pass, it feels to Willa like they know her better than she knows herself. As her memories surface, the strange girls try to convince her she’s lived at Dorsey House before. If they’re telling the truth, Willa can’t trust her own mind. The line between reality and nightmare blurs. Willa believes Dorsey House is haunted-but by what? And if she can’t remember leaving, how can she escape?
Author Tooley’s book is a character-driven study of a young woman’s traumatized mind, dumped into an atmosphere of (possibly) supernatural horror. She doesn’t shy away from intense subjects, covering suicide, teen pregnancy, child neglect, grief. Her book explores toxic female friendship, made extra scary because it’s so psychologically haunting. Tooley, author of “Sweet & Bitter Magic”, has done it again. It’s strange, weird, unsettling, heartbreaking, and it’s 5⭐️s from me 📚👩🏼🦳
Did Not Finish
July 29, 2026DNF at 16% (Read Chapters 1-3)
I have no doubt that a lot of readers will love this book (and it’s seems like a quick easy read, given the short length and accessible writing style). Unfortunately, I just didn’t find myself deeply immersed in the story.
I love the idea of an unreliable narrator; but I don’t love that the adults in the picture (the Dorseys) clearly know what’s going on and why Willa was sent to Dorsey House, and yet they won’t tell her, even when she asks. I’m sure it’s so that we can have some big reveal towards the end of the book, but the unnecessary vagueness still bothered me.
I also didn’t love that Willa is supposed to have no memories of what brought her to Dorsey House, and yet in the exposition (told from first-person POV), she describes how the other characters are feeling towards her and each other as if she knows them well. (Granted, she may end up having a history with them that will be revealed later; but since I was told that they just met, and Willa believes that they just met, I’m confused as to why the narrative goes into such detail already.) It just threw me off.
Anyway, I’m clearly in the minority here! This story just isn’t for me.
I have no doubt that a lot of readers will love this book (and it’s seems like a quick easy read, given the short length and accessible writing style). Unfortunately, I just didn’t find myself deeply immersed in the story.
I love the idea of an unreliable narrator; but I don’t love that the adults in the picture (the Dorseys) clearly know what’s going on and why Willa was sent to Dorsey House, and yet they won’t tell her, even when she asks. I’m sure it’s so that we can have some big reveal towards the end of the book, but the unnecessary vagueness still bothered me.
I also didn’t love that Willa is supposed to have no memories of what brought her to Dorsey House, and yet in the exposition (told from first-person POV), she describes how the other characters are feeling towards her and each other as if she knows them well. (Granted, she may end up having a history with them that will be revealed later; but since I was told that they just met, and Willa believes that they just met, I’m confused as to why the narrative goes into such detail already.) It just threw me off.
Anyway, I’m clearly in the minority here! This story just isn’t for me.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I went into this expecting more of a ghost story… and it’s really not that.
This leans much more into grief and how it lingers—how loss can feel like a presence that never really leaves. I liked the concept, and I can see what the author was going for. It’s quiet, emotional, and has an eerie undertone throughout.
But if I’m being honest, it just didn’t fully pull me in.
It’s a slower, more vague read, and I kept waiting for it to build into something bigger or give me a moment that really hit—and it never quite got there for me. I wasn’t hooked, and it felt more like I was reading to finish it rather than not being able to put it down.
I do think the writing is beautiful at times, and the message is there… it just didn’t land as strong as I wanted it to.
One thing I will say—I really wish the content warning page had been placed at the front of the book instead of the back. For a story like this, that feels important for readers to be aware going in.
Overall, this is one of those books I respect more than I actually enjoyed. If you like quieter, emotional reads with light supernatural elements, you may connect with it more than I did.
This leans much more into grief and how it lingers—how loss can feel like a presence that never really leaves. I liked the concept, and I can see what the author was going for. It’s quiet, emotional, and has an eerie undertone throughout.
But if I’m being honest, it just didn’t fully pull me in.
It’s a slower, more vague read, and I kept waiting for it to build into something bigger or give me a moment that really hit—and it never quite got there for me. I wasn’t hooked, and it felt more like I was reading to finish it rather than not being able to put it down.
I do think the writing is beautiful at times, and the message is there… it just didn’t land as strong as I wanted it to.
One thing I will say—I really wish the content warning page had been placed at the front of the book instead of the back. For a story like this, that feels important for readers to be aware going in.
Overall, this is one of those books I respect more than I actually enjoyed. If you like quieter, emotional reads with light supernatural elements, you may connect with it more than I did.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Review of ARC from NetGalley.
Thank you to NetGalley who gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Willa’s story captured my interest from the very beginning of the book up until the very end. There are some trigger warnings regarding grief and death, but the topic is handled very well. Willa ends up at a halfway house with nothing but smudges of ash on her body and the smell of smoke lingering. While she feels immense sadness, she knows she didn’t set her house on fire. Meanwhile, she is instructed to work through her feelings with the keeper of the house, a mysterious woman named Margaret. Willa meets the other girls, who seem up to no good, like they are determined to make Willa’s stay miserable. The girls do their daily chores and have sessions with Margaret, but other than that, none of them know how to get back home. Odd things start happening, and when Willa sees a ghost, the pace starts to pick up. Who is this ghost, what does she want with Willa, and why does she look like she drowned? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The last 1/3 of the book I was thoroughly riveted, hoping that Willa could figure this mystery out!
Thank you to NetGalley who gave me a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Willa’s story captured my interest from the very beginning of the book up until the very end. There are some trigger warnings regarding grief and death, but the topic is handled very well. Willa ends up at a halfway house with nothing but smudges of ash on her body and the smell of smoke lingering. While she feels immense sadness, she knows she didn’t set her house on fire. Meanwhile, she is instructed to work through her feelings with the keeper of the house, a mysterious woman named Margaret. Willa meets the other girls, who seem up to no good, like they are determined to make Willa’s stay miserable. The girls do their daily chores and have sessions with Margaret, but other than that, none of them know how to get back home. Odd things start happening, and when Willa sees a ghost, the pace starts to pick up. Who is this ghost, what does she want with Willa, and why does she look like she drowned? I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The last 1/3 of the book I was thoroughly riveted, hoping that Willa could figure this mystery out!
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